Injection valve in a liquefied gas lighter



July 17, 1962 TAISHO lKETANl 3,044,505

INJECTION VALVE IN A LIQUEFIED GAS LIGHTER Filed Aug. 7, 1961 United States The present invention relates to an improvement in an injection valve for use in a liquefied gas lighter.

In the prior constructions of a liquefied gas lighter, when a fuel gas reservoir for the liquefied gas lighter is filled with liquid fuel, there is the danger of detonating the fuel gas due to the change of the ambient temperature, and consequently after a given quantity of fuel has been filled in the valve mechanism, the fuel flows over therefrom, so as to leave a definite space within the reservoir consisting of a tank. It is one object of the present invention to provide an injection valve, wherein in order to reduce the quantity of the fuel of overflow and to leave a desired space in the tank, a discharge opening is provided, so as to effect simultaneously the opening and closing of the injection opening.

Heretofore, a valve mechanism of such type is constructed in such manner, that an injection opening is opened after an overflow or discharge opening has been opened, and also after the injection opening has been closed, the overflow opening is closed. In the known structures upon the filling up of the fuel, loss of the fuel cannot be eliminated and also a space left in the tank, caused by the difference in time between the opening and closing of the overflow opening and injection opening, has been formed, and consequently it has been very difiicult to ensure the leaving of a definite space in the tank.

It is, therefore, another object of the present invention to provide an injection valvepwhich removes the defects inherent in the injection valve in the prior liquefied gas lighter.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent in the following detailed description, the present invention will be clearly understood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view partly in section of a liquefied gas lighter;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are enlarged axial sections of an injection valve, respectively, showing a state of the opening and closing thereof.

Referring now to the drawing, a cylinder 1 is mounted on a reservoir a of a gas lighter. A base plate is mounted on the bottom of the cylinder 1, and a flange 3 is formed on the upper inner circumference of the cylinder 1, spaced apart from the outer wall of the reservoir, so as to form a chamber b at the lower part of the cylinder 1. A discharge opening 4 is formed in the side wall of the chamber b and is in communication with an inner chamber of the reservoir a and is positioned spaced apart from the base plate 2 at the lower part of the flange 3.

A movable stem member 5 is inserted in the cylinder 1. The upper part of the movable stem member 5 passes through a support hole 6 formed centrally in the flange 3. The lower end of the movable stem member 5 passes through a bore 7 formed centrally in the base plate 2. Accordingly, the movable stern member 5 can move freely inwardly and outwardly from the cylinder 1. A packing 8 is wrapped by a washer member 9 and arranged on the base plate 2 at the bottom of the cylinder 1. The packing .8 serves the purpose to engage sealingly the periphery of the lower part of the movable member 5 and also to provide a sealing between the I atent Q P injection passage 23.

3,6445%. Patented July 17, 1962 2 chamber b at the lower part of the cylinder 1 and the inner chamber 0 of the reservoir a, even when the movable stern member 5 is moved axially. A coil spring 10 is arranged between the outer surface of the washer member 9 and a shoulder portion 11 of the movable stem member 5, and serves the purpose to push the movable stem member 5 outwardly. A flange 12 is formed'integrally with the movable stem member 5 at the upper part thereof. The flange 12 is in engagement at its outer surface with the inner surface of the flange 3 when the movable stem member 5 is forced outwardly and acts to limit the outward movement of the movable stem member 5. A fitting cylinder 13 is slidably fitted to the movable stem member 5 and has an outer diameter to leave a discharge space 14 between the inner wall of the chamber b and the outer surface of the fitting cylinder 13. The fitting cylinder 13 is positioned such to be forced upwardly by means of a coil spring 16, which is arranged between a shoulder portion 15 formed at the lower part of the fitting cylinder 13 and the upper surface of the washer member 9. A resilient packing 17 is wrapped in a cavity 18 at the upper part of the fitting cylinder 13. The packing 17 engages tightly the outer cylindrical face of the movable stem member 5 and serves the purpose to seal tightly the fitting cylinder 13 to the movable stem member 5. At the same time, when the fitting cylinder 13 is forced out, an annular seat 19 extending inwardly on the inner face of the flange 3 towards the packing 17 bites into the resilient packing 17,

so as to seal the passage 20 communicating with the open air through the chamber b and the support bore 6. A longitudinal passage 21 is disposed centrally in the movable stem member 5. 'The passage 21 is open at its top and terminates into the upper end of a tubular needle like part 22 and is closed at its lower end. A radial injection opening23, which communicates with the longitudinal passage 21 is disposed at a place where the movable stem member 5 is surrounded normally by the packing 8. When the movable stem member 5 is forced downwardly, the packing 17 is compressed by the inner surface of the flange 12 and the sealing effect between the annular seat 19 and the resilient packing 17 is lifted, the radial injection passage 23 is located in such a position that it escapes from the packing 8 and is just opposite the bore 7. I

The operation of the injection valve in the liquefied gas lighter designed in accordance with the present invention is as follows:

When the cylinder 1 of the lighter is mounted and the tubular needle like part 22 of the stem member 5 is inserted into an injection opening of a supplementary filling tank (not shown) and is pressed downwardly by the latter, liquefied fuel passes through the longitudinal central passage 21 up to the radial injection passage 23. However, as long as the injection passage 23 is sealed off bythe packing 8, the fuel cannot pass through the If the pressing down of the movable stem member 5 is continued, the latter is moved through the cylinder 1 into the container against the action of the spring 10. When the operation of the stem member 5 is effected, the fitting cylinder 13 remains in its outermostposition by the action of the separate spring 16, and consequently the fitting cylinder 13 does not move at first. However, when the movable stem'member 5 is further lowered so as to press the upper surface of the resilient packing 17 by the under surface of the flange 12, the under surface of the flange 12 presses against the packing 17 and thereby the fitting cylinder 13 is moved inwardly to join the continued inward movement of the stem member 5 and thus to release the annular seat 19 which was biting into the packing 17.

Thus, the discharge space 14 is connected with the open quently liquefied fuel starts to inject into the reservoir 11,

When this position is maintained, liquefied fuel continues to enter into the, reservoir 11 from the injection passage 23.- On the other hand, vaporized gas in the reservior is discharged from the discharge opening 4 through the.

passage 20. When the liquid surface of the fuel injected from the injection passage 23v reaches the height of the discharge opening 4, this fuel overflows above the cylinder 1 from the discharge opening 4 through the passage 20, and it can be seen that the fuel has been filled up to the discharge opening 4.

If now the supplementary filling tank is removed, the movable stem member '5 moves outwardly again by the action of the coil spring 10 and the injection passage 23 assumes a position opposite the packing 8 so it ceases any injection of the fuel therefrom. At the same time, the fitting cylinder 13 is lifted together with the flange 12 of the movable stern member by the action of the coil spring 16, and, therefore, by a reverse course as above described, the injection passage 23 is entirely closed and at the same time the passage 20 is also closed. Consequently, when the injection of the fuel is stopped, the overflow of the fuel is also stopped.

After the passage 26* has been closed, the discharge opening 4 is connected with the chamber b, and liquefied fuel which did not overflow is discharged to fill up the chamber b v As above described, in accordance with the present invention, as the injection passage 23 is feeding fuel and the passage 29 is connected to the open air, the discharge opening 4 and the passage 23 are opened and closed simultaneously, upon the filling up of fuel into the reservoir, an unavailing evaporation of the fuel, when the fuel remains in the reservoir, is avoided, and the quantity of the fuei whichoverflows, when the filling up of the fuel has been finished, is very small, and also a space of a definite volume can be safely maintained.

While I have disclosed one embodiment of the present invention, it is to be understood that this embodiment is given by example only and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the present invention being determined by'the objects and the claim.

I claim:

An injection valve for a. gas-fueled lighter comprising cylinder adapted to be secured to a container of said lighter,

a stern member axially movable in said cylinder and having an axial injection passage communicating witha radial injection passage terminating at the periphery of said stern member in, order to inject fuel through said axial and radial passages, said axial passage being closed at its inner end except to said radial passage,

said cylinder having a discharge opening through its outer side wall portion, and having an inner flange outwardly spaced apart from said discharge opening,

said flange having an opening slightly larger than the outer diameter of said stem member to form a passage therebetween,

a first packing ring surrounding the outer portion of said stem member in slidable sealing engagement therewith and engaging with its outer facesaid flange of said cylinder, so that said discharge opening is 'closed from the ambient atmosphere in the outermost inoperative position of said packing ring and of said stem member,

a second packing ring in sealing engagement with the V innermost portion of said cylinder and said stem and closing said radial injection passage of said stem member in the inoperative position of the latter, and

a first spring disposed between a shoulder portion of said stem member and said second packing ring and urging said stem member into its outermost position,

said stem having a flange disposed outwardly of said firstpacking ring between said flange of said cylinder and said first packing ring and spaced from said packing ring when the stem is in an outermost position, 1

a second spring between the first and second packing ring biasing said first packing ring into engagement with said inner flange of said cylinder, so that upon performance ofan inward stroke by said stem member said discharge opening is connected with the ambient atmosphere and said radial injection passage of said stem member feeds fuel into said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS France Aug. 5, 1956 

